Jim Bob Humphrey, chairman of the Salute to Freedom Task Force, is just one of many local residents who strive to support veterans and their families in the Arkansas River Valley year round.

The Task Force is comprised of one representative from each local veteran organization and works collaboratively each year to plan the annual Veterans Day parade, the Salute to Freedom ceremony and deployment and homecoming ceremonies.

The group also administers the Soldier Bear Program, which purchases Build-A-Bear workshop teddy bears equipped with sound modules that allow soldiers to record a 10-second messages for their children.

Humphrey said the group has purchased 1,000 bears at $35 each since establishing the program in 2007. Humphrey hopes to see the organization become a national program.

Humphrey’s dedication to veterans extends to soldiers currently serving and their families and veterans from each war.

“Soldiers literally defend our freedoms that we enjoy every day,” Humphrey said. “Beginning about 10 years ago, there became a national awareness that our World War II veterans (a national treasure) were advanced in age and many were dying. Nationally, people began to ensure they were honored properly. The completion of the WWII memorial was a catalyst for the movement.”

Along with the increased awareness that a generation of veterans was declining in numbers, there was also a renewed idea of patriotism.

“When our Vietnam veterans returned home in 1975, they were not welcomed,” Humphrey said. “Fifteen years later during Desert Storm and Desert Shield, Americans realized that when war occurred, citizens could oppose the war and still support the soldiers. That is a core belief among members of the Task Force.”

Humphrey, who took part in an Honor Flight in October of 2011, said it is the oral history he encourages veterans of each war to share, which can be difficult for some veterans.

“Many veterans never spoke about their experiences, or if they did, it was only with other veterans,” Humphrey said. “First-person history is always so much more interesting. They lived it. We can watch movies, but veterans supply the context that makes the stories understandable.”